The look of abundance continues to be a prominent theme in jewelry design as well as in jewelry stylings this season and into the fall. Perhaps the only item of jewelry not being shown worn in multiples at the moment are earrings. In the extreme case, more is more (see my June 28 post), although layered necklaces, clusters of brooches, multiple rings and stacked bracelets can all easily be scaled back to a level appropriate in just about any setting and for any occasion.
Another example of the look of abundance is the style of bracelets and watch straps that wraps more than once around the wrist. Hermes has been showing a version of this style for over 30 years in its Kelly watch, inspired by the iconic Kelly Bag, and has introduced other “double tour” watch strap designs.
Indeed, versions of the Hermes double tour design wristwatch are featured in every photo in the eight-page fashion spread “Beach Daze” in the June 2010 issue of Marie Claire. I think the styling is particularly interesting in the photo above, which shows the Hermes watch worn on the same wrist with a very fine bracelet by Ten Thousand Things. On her other wrist, the model is wearing a bangle by Hermes along with a wrap bracelet by Chan Luu, seen more clearly in the photo below. The model is also wearing necklaces by Les Gazelles, Helen Ficalora and Waxing Poetic, and rings by Me&Ro and Zoe Chicco.
Here’s another photo from the Marie Claire feature. On her right wrist the model is wearing a silver wrap bracelet by Chan Luu, which is a leather bracelet incorporating sterling silver nuggets, along with a gold bangle from Hermes. On her left wrist, she wears a Hermes double tour watch along with a set of leather bracelets by Miguel Ases. She also wears necklaces by Me&Ro, Les Gazelles, Ten Thousand Things and Helen Ficalora, and rings by Me&Ro, Ten Thousand Things and Zoe Chicco. The earrings are identified only as the model’s own.
Designer Donna Karan is pictured in the July 2010 issue of Town & Country wearing an ensemble and Wanga leather cuff bracelet from her Urban Zen line along with her own chunky oversized necklace.
The wrap style isn’t just for leather. Bulgari is currently running print ads showing actress Julianne Moore wearing a multi-wrap Serpenti wristwatch of 18 karat gold with diamonds.
Actress Cameron Diaz is pictured in the July 2010 issue of InStyle magazine wearing a Yves Saint Laurent cuff in a metallic wrap design.
A metal wrap bracelet by Michael Kors is featured in the June/July 2010 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.
At the low end of the price spectrum, the July/August 2010 issue of More magazine features a bright yellow wrap watch by La Mer in its Frugal Fashionista – 100 under $100 feature.
Family Circle magazine accessorizes an exotic print long dress (a key summer trend) by T-Bags with a woven yellow bracelet that has the look of a wrap by Cocobelle, shown with black cuff bracelets by Agabhumi, necklaces by Loft and Agabhumi and earrings by R.J. Graziano.
One can also readily find mid-Century vintage costume jewelry wrap bracelets made of crystals, beads or faux pearls strung on structured wires. These bracelets have a finished look and sometimes are charmingly finished with a dangling bead, tassel or other design element at each end.
A great feature of most wrap bracelets and watches is that they can accommodate a range of sizes, and that’s just considering the variations in wrist sizes.
Chan Luu notes on her web site that her leather wrap bracelets, which are 32 inches long and have a button closure, are long enough to be worn as necklaces. This is the reverse of the long-standing stylists’ trick of wrapping a necklace around a wrist to serve as a multi-strand bracelet. That trick may work just fine, especially for the short duration of a photo shoot, but can be less successful worn for an extended time. You may recall an incident a few years back in which red carpet host’s “bracelet” made of a necklace wrapped around her wrist, gradually released and became unwoven over the course of the red carpet show. She was oblivious to the problem; some of us in the television audience watched in disbelief.
While the stylists’ necklace-as-bracelet trick may work if the material of the necklace and its length jive perfectly with what is needed around the wrist, a watch or bracelet designed to be worn wrap-style is a superior option that doesn’t pose the same potential for being distracting, becoming fussy and unraveling.
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